Jedi Record Keeping

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Tonight. The card breaks records. Mark Hamill gets reunited with a record. And we remember Orson Bean and others on this edition of the multiverse. Tonight. And here's our host, Thomas Townley. Hello, everyone, and welcome to episode number sixty-two of Multiverse Tonight. I'm of course your host, Thomas Townley. And uh so, uh, what have you been thinking of Picard? I think it's been doing uh pretty great. They finally got the old man into space at last, and uh there's so many backstories of these characters I'd like to see told. And you know, also ever every episode so far has kind of left me in a happy place. So I'm I'm very, very happy about it. Now, Star Wars fans, my my condolences, no Oscar wins, but uh you know it's an honor to be nominated right. Now, on a completely different subject, Valentine's Day is just a few days away, and if you're new to the podcast, let me just tell you that Valentine's Day happens to be my birthday. Now you want to give me a present? Just spread the word about the podcast, and you know, if if you'd like to donate a dollar, you can find the appropriate links over at multiverstonight.com. Now let's start out with some Star Trek news. Now Star Trek news today starts with Picard again, and it's breaking records over at CBS All Access. Picard, along with the Grammys and the end of the NXFL NF NFL season, led to record high new signups for the streaming service, beating its previous record in February of last year. In fact, the first week of Picard was the second best signup week, the best being the 2019 Super Bowl. The premiere of Star Trek Picard also set a new record for total streams, driving the highest volume of subscribers streaming a CBS All Access original series ever. Now the Picard series was up more than 115% and 180% over the previous record set by Star Trek Discovery, making Picard the series the service's most watched premiere ever. That's pretty good. That that just shows you that if you give people something that they want, they'll come they'll they'll they'll come to watch it. Yeah. Thank you, CBS. That's exactly what I wanted. And uh according to Mark Du Bois, uh Chief Digital Officer at Viacom CBS and president and CEO of CBS Interactive, quote, we've seen tremendous continued growth in the service, and the new records we've experienced due to Star Trek Picard, the Grammys, and a fantastic season of football are a phenomenal way to kick off what will be a fantastic year for CBS All Access. CBS All Access continues to build upon its great mix of programming from original series to sports and special events, and we strategically programmed 2020 to bring subscribers an always-on calendar of much watch series and events. Picard has also been declared fresh by Rotten Tomatoes. Now the key word there is an always-on calendar. So the so that means should you know, is there going to be another Star Trek series that will immediately come after Star Trek Picard, you know, to keep me watching? You know, if if they really want me to stay and and watch, bring out bring out the cartoon, you know, bring out low Star Trek lower decks. I want to see this. You know. Discovery, I'll you know, cancel and wait until most of the season is out before before re-upping again. Because Discovery just does not doesn't you know do much for me. You know, I'm I'm interested in where the story is going, but not enough to, you know, you know, spend time once a week. I want to do it in one, you know, one felt one fair shot. Anyway, while uh you're you know, if if you go out to Los Angeles between uh April 30th and September 6th, why not head over to the Skirball Cultural Center in Westwood for Star Trek Exploring New Worlds, which will be a visual examination of the sci-fi franchise's impact on culture, art, and technology, as well as its futuristic vision of inclusiveness. The exhibit was originally organized by the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle and will bring a hundred artifacts, set pieces, and props, including Captain Kirk's Captain's Chair, Larry Nimoy, Michelle Nichols, and Patrick Stewart's costumes, filming mall of the Emperor of the Enterprise, Excelsior, and Deep Space Nine, and a bunch of stuff showcasing Star Trek's impact on culture, art, and technology. Sounds uh kind of cool. You know, I I wish that they would have some sort of touring exhibit. You know, especially you know, if if tour toured somewhere close to me like Wichita or Hutchinson, you know, you know, someplace that I could get to fairly even Kansas City. If they if they did it, you know, at at the same time as Planet Comic-Con, that would be great. Anyway, uh let's uh move on. Picard isn't the only thing that's uh recently premiered. Star Trek Online has is celebrating its tenth anniversary with Star Trek Online Legacy, which uh has a new mission featuring Jerry Ryan as Seven of Nine and Senequa Martin Green as Michelle Burnham. Jerry Ryan has been in Stowe for a few years now, having voiced her character for the Delta Rising expansion, and now she's back as her Picard version of the character. Legacy will have two new featured episodes based around the Excalbians from the T the original series episode, The Savage Curtain, a new five-person task force operation called The Hell with Honor, the Mycelium TFO, and the anniversary celebration with a brand new T6 Kidmer Alliance Battle Cruiser. And it's available right now on PC and on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 starting on March 3rd. And as always, it's free to play. Now, if if you're playing the game and you want to join a fleet, why not join our fleet, uh the Multiverse Tonight Fleet? Just go in game and search for Multiverse Tonight Fleet, and uh you know, do it today. You know, there's pretty much no one on no one on the uh fleet but me, but you know, I would love to see more of you in there. Give me someone else to talk to. Blurbs have been released for the new Simon and Schuster Star Trek novels. First off, in June is Dayton Ward's Agents of Influence and Original Series novel. Here's the uh cover blurb. Quote For years, Starfleet intelligent agents have covered carried out undercover assignments deep within the Klingon Empire. Surgically altered and rigorously trained in Klingon culture, they operate in plain sight and without any direct support, while collecting information and infiltrating the highest levels of imperial power. Their actions have given Starfleet valuable insight into the inner workings of the Klingon government and its relentless military apparatus. After three of Starfleet's longest serving agents fear exposure, they initiate emergency extraction procedures. Their planned rendezvous with the USS Endeavor goes awry, threatening to reveal their action their activities and the damaging intelligence they've collected during their mission. Tasked by Starfleet to salvage the botch rescue attempt, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise must discover the truth behind a secret weapons experiment while avoiding an interstellar incident with its potential to ignite a new war between the Federation and one of its oldest adversaries. Coming out in July, quote, No one in no one in the history of histories has lost more than Philippa Giorgio, ruler of the Terran Empire. Forced to take refuge in the Federation's universe, she bids her time until Section 31, Rogue's spy force within Starfleet, offers her a chance to work as their agent. She has no intention of serving under anyone else, of course. Her only interest is escape. But when a young Trill, Emmy Dax, discovers the powerful interstellar menace, George recognizes it as a super weapon that escaped her grasp in her own universe. Escorted by a team sent by an untrusting Federation to watch over her, the Emperor journeys to a region forbidden to travelers. But will what she finds there end the threat or give Agent George the means to create her old empire anew? Sounds interesting. August brings us a new Kelvin Timeline book, More Beautiful Than Death. From David Mack, quote, Captain James D. Kirk and the Enterprise crew escort Spox father, Ambassador Serica Vulcan, to a dilithium rich planet called Acheron. They arrive to find this world under siege by creatures that some of the planet's desens believe are demons. Seric orders Kirk to abandon the mission, but the young captain won't turn his back on people in danger. After a harrowing encounter with the Dark Force Demons, Kirk's belief in a rational universe is challenged by a mystic who insists that it wasn't coincidence that brought Kirk to Acheron, but the alien equivalent of a karmic debt. Meanwhile, aboard the Enterprise, Circ's young Vulcan aid, Lynel, has a sinister agenda, and its chief objective appears to be the cold-blooded murder of Spock. In October, we have Kirsten Bayer's next Voyager novel, To Lose the Earth. This book has been delayed because of her other work on Discovery and Picard. Here's the blurb, quote. As the crew of the full circle fleet works to determine the fate of their lost ship, the Galen, a struggle for survival begins as the far edge of the galaxy. New revelations about species zero zero one, the race that built the biodomes, the crew the that first drew the fleet to investigate planet DK-1116. Forced Admiral Catherine Janeway to risk everything to learn the truth. Well, sounds you know, they all sound good. You know, happy reading, or in my case, listening. I really don't have that much time to actually read. Oh, thank you very much. Uh, we close out Star Trek News with the passing of actress Marge Ducet at the age of 83. She would be best known to Star Trek fans for her guest appearance on the episode Spox Brain that uh happened in the third season of the original series. She played Kara, the girl who put the crew to sleep and then stole Spock's Grey Matter. She was born in Russell, Kansas, in 1936. The role on Star Trek was one of the first she had, and she has also had roles on The Wild Wild West, Bonanza, Hawaii 5.0, The Odd Couple, The Facts of Life, Dallas, and soap operas like Santa Barbara, The Guiding Light, Days of Our Lives, and All My Children. She won five daytime Emmys for her soap opera work. She was twice married and had a son and a daughter. She passed away from natural causes in her Manhattan home. Kalus has uh returned to SovoCor. Actor Kevin Conway, the actor who played the Returned Kalis in the next generation episode Birthright, has passed away from a heart attack. Kevin was a veteran actor who started acting at the age of 24. His first major role was as Wayland Wherry in 1972's film adaptation of Slaughterhouse 5. He would go on to play such memorable movie roles as Crumb Petrie, the crazy mailman from the Chevy Chase movie Funny Farm, Frank Papale in Disney's Invincible, and Sergeant Buster Kilrain in Gettysburg, and the sequel Gods and Generals. His television work included a guest star role in an episode of Homicide, Life on the Street, the control voice on the 1995 reboot of The Outer Limits, uh episode roles on The Good Wife, Jag, and HBO's Oz. He was 77 years old. Now, let's go on to the Star Wars news. Star Wars actor Jake Lloyd has had many struggles with mental health. The actor, best known for his role as Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace, has had many struggles, including runs-in run-ins with the law, and the unexpected passing of his younger sister just a couple of years ago. In a statement with Geek News Now, Jake's mother talked about her son's present state. Jake has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, but unfortunately, he also has a symptom called agonosia, which causes a lack of insight into his illness. This only adds to the struggle he faces, which has been very difficult after the tragic loss of his younger sister Madison. He has moved closer to his family, and we are all working hard to help him with this. He is still a kind and caring person, and we hope to have him back to his fun and entertaining self as soon as possible. Jake will continue to make progress with the love and support you continue to show, unquote. My heart goes out to him, and I I wish him peace and long life. The Mandalorian season two will come to Disney Plus this October. In a first quarter earnings call with CEO Bob Iger, the show has been very successful for Disney, with 65% of viewers of the show going on to try at least ten other offerings on the streaming service. Mark Hamill got a bit of a surprise last month. An Arizona bookstore tweeted the that the actor tweeted the actor saying that they had found an origin his original copy of the Star Wars soundtrack and wanted to send it back to him. How did they know it was his? The record sleeve was personally inscribed by John Williams to Mark Hamill. In an interview with the New York Times on Monday, Mark said, quote, I wasn't completely sure it was mine, but I know that I'd had an album signed by John. How would they know that? Unquote. Mark didn't even know that it was his was missing and assumed that it was still in the basement of his California home with the rest of his record collection. How it got to Bookman's Entertainment Exchange in Flagstaff, Arizona, who can say? All the store knows is that it showed up in a collection a lady brought in of her deceased father's record collection. The record had even been temporarily on sale, but was taken down and it was posted to Twitter soon thereafter, where Mark Hamill saw it. Within days, it was in the mail back to its Jedi owner. Mark said, quote, This is so above and beyond, considering they could have sold it, unquote. Mark made his gratitude clear, encouraging his Twitter fans to visit the store, and designed some memorabilia for the store, including a Star Wars DVD and a replica of the medal given to Luke and Hahn at the end of Star Wars A New Hope. The Star Wars, a Galaxy far far away show at Disney's Hollywood Studios, is closing. The show, which featured classic moments from the Skywalker saga brought to life on stage, will be closing soon. However, there apparently is no set end date. However, there are rumors that the show will be closing a week after the scheduled opening of Mickey and Minnie's Runway Railway on March the 4th. So, you know, you you still have time to go see it. You know, I'm guessing that they're closing this because with Galaxy's Edge, there's really no reason to have this, you know, extra show running. Anyway, Tika Wati is downplaying the rumors that he was offered a Star Wars film. When asked about it by Entertainment Weekly, the Oscar winning actor, Oscar Award winning director slash actor said, quote, listen, what does approached even mean? I've seen Star Wars, that's about as far as it got. Unquote. Now, pushed upon the subject a little bit further, he went on to elaborate, saying, quote, look, I'm not an idiot. Who would actually say no to Star Wars? Of course, I didn't send that idea very uh send the idea very seriously. It's more that in light of all the things that were happening over the last couple of months, it would make me a little nervous, unquote. So it sounds like no, but he was not saying no completely. So come on, Lucasfilm, balls in your court, unless this is all just a big lie and they've actually hired him. Yeah, but I'll deal with the facts and not the rumors until something concrete shows up. Now, you know, some more sad news uh to report. This time it's actor Alan Harris, who has passed away after a battle with lung cancer. His career uh mostly was as an extra or stand-in, but he is known to Star Wars fans as the bounty hunter Bosque in The Empire Strikes Back. He also was a security guard on the planet Best Spin. Uh over his uh career, he showed up in The Living Daylights, Doctor Who, Top Secret, Return of the Jedi, Flash Gordon, Shining, Superman the Movie, Return of the Jedi, and The Avengers, among several others, and he was usually uncredited, just appearing as a background extra. He was 81 years old. Yeah. Very, very good. Now let's go on with some geek news. Disney Plus, as I mentioned before, is is doing very well. The service has 28.6 million subscribers, which is nearly halfway to its five-year goal of 60 to 90 million subscribers. Now, this March the service will be expanding to the United Kingdom, Western Europe, and India, and it will come to the rest of the planet in 2021. So you so everyone can enjoy you know Disney Plus. And uh there's some more good news for for those of you outside of the United States. Hulu will be expanding outside of North America next year. Hulu will all will also now be the exclusive streaming service for all new FX original programming, plus it will start offering in-season streaming of current FX shows and back seasons for almost all of all those shows. Yeah. This is this is very good news. I I like what Disney is doing with Hulu. Yeah. They're making uh the most out of having uh both Disney Plus and Hulu. Lethal Weapon 5 is now in development. Yeah, I know I know you're asking why why am I talking about Lethal Weapon 5 and and sci-fi sci-fi news? Well, I I have no place to put it, but it's but it's an interesting story, nonetheless. According to its Chapter 2 director, Dan Lynn, it will be the last one. You know, speaking with the Hollywood reporter, he said, quote, I'm going to knock on wood because I don't want to jinx myself, but we're trying to make the last Lethal Weapon movie, and Dick Donner's coming back. The original cast is coming back, and it's just amazing. The story itself is very personal to me to him. Mel Gibson and Danny Clover are ready to go. So it's about the script. Unquote. So do you want to see Lethal Weapon 5? Yeah. Do you? Anyone? Anyone? Anyway. Uh our final uh piece of sad news here tonight is the uh death of actor Orson Bean, who passed away after being hit by two cars while walking in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles. Orson, who was originally born Dallas Frederick Burroughs in 1928, began acting in 1952 on the Goodyear television playhouse. He would go on to act in dozens of shows, including the Twilight episode Mr. Beavis, 1977's Anmed The Hobbit, and the sequel The Return of the King, The Love Boat, The Facts of Life, Murder She Wrote, Tiny Two Adventures, 146 Episodes of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, 23 episodes of Desperate Housewives. He also made an appearance on Modern Family and Superstore recently. His final TV appearance will be in an episode of Netflix's Grace and Frankie. Now he's also done quite a few movies as well, including Inner Space, being John Malkovich, and The Equalizer 2. He was nominated for a Grammy in 1979 for The Hobbit and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2000 for being John Malkovich. Orson Bean was 91 years old. And that will bring us to the end of uh the uh another edition, sci-fi edition of Multiverse Tonight. Now, please be sure to check us out on social media. We're at Twitter at multiverse tom. We're also on Facebook and Instagram as uh multiverse tonight as well. And if uh you'd like to contribute some money, please visit mtpodcast.com to go to our uh coffee, patreon, or glow.fm links as well, and be sure to visit multiverstonight.com to visit our affiliate marketplace, our uh our uh link to our Tea Public store, our show notes, and so much more. If you're a subscriber, please be sure to share us with your friends, and if you're brand new to the show, please be sure to subscribe. Now, please exit the universe in an orderly fashion. We'll be back in just a couple of days with the comic edition. Have a good night, farewell. Multiverse tonight is the production of Half Big Genre Productions Copyright 2020. All rights reserved, I think I think.